The present invention relates generally to the field of arc welding, and more particularly to the field of liquid-cooled arc welding torches.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various embodiments of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Arc welding is a welding process in which an electric current is used to produce localized melting in a work piece. There are many different types of arc welding processes. One example of an arc welding process is TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding (also known as gas tungsten arc welding, GTAW, or HELLARC). TIG welding is a type of arc welding process in which an electric arc is maintained between a welding implement, such as a hand-held welding torch, and a metal work piece. Typically, the welding implement includes a cylindrical electrode coupled to a torch head. The arc is produced by electricity that flows between the electrode and the work piece. Typically, the electrode is comprised of tungsten. The electricity for the arc welding process is provided by a power source coupled to the torch head of the welding implement by a power cable.
The electricity flowing through the torch head may produce a substantial amount of heat. In addition, the electricity flowing through the electrode and the work piece may produce heat that is transferred to the torch head. The heat introduced into the torch head may damage the components of the torch. In addition, the heat may make the torch difficult to hold. The amount of heat produced is a function of the current flowing through the torch. The torches may be air-cooled at low current levels. However, the ability of air-cooling to sufficiently cool the torch decreases as the amount of current flowing through the torch increases. Consequently, liquid-cooled welding torches have been developed to remove a greater amount of the heat from within the torch head, thereby enabling the torch to be operated at higher current levels. Typically, a liquid-cooling unit is coupled to the welding torch to supply a flow of liquid to cool the welding torch. The cooling unit also removes the heat transferred to the liquid from the welding torch. However, liquid-cooling units add a significant expense to the system. Typically, a lower capacity liquid-cooling unit is less expensive that a larger capacity liquid-cooling unit.
Therefore, a need exists for a technique to increase the amount of heat removed from a welding torch by liquid cooling. More specifically, a need exists for a technique to enable the liquid flowing through a welding torch to remove a greater amount of heat from the torch head.